The Hidden King's Stolen Wife-Chapter 258: Threads of Red II

Soleia sighed and got up wearily, opening the door. "What is it?"

A young maid blinked innocently up at her, holding up a tray with a porcelain bowl on it, along with a spoon. From such a close distance, Soleia could smell the vague sweetness wafting off the liquid. She couldn’t help but marvel at Rafael’s speed in getting the kitchen to do his bidding. She didn’t think tonics could be brewed so quickly, but Rafael was a persuasive man.

"Your Highness, here is the tonic that you’re supposed to drink for your pregnancy," the maid said tremulously. She almost looked too terrified to meet Soleia’s eyes. "Shall I set it on the table?"

"Of course, of course," Soleia said hurriedly, moving out of the way so that the maid could enter. She scrambled inside and put the tonic on the table before bowing in respect. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"The tonic should be taken warm for best results. Is there anything else you require of me?" the maid asked politely, twisting her fingers as she watched Soleia anxiously.

Soleia wondered if Rafael had terrified her so badly that she was so willing to fulfil her every whim. "There’s nothing else I need from you," Soleia said, waving her off. "You can leave now."

The maid nodded frantically and scrambled out again, nearly tripping over her skirts. Soleia sighed in wry amusement― her behavior reminded Soleia of Lily, whom she had not seen for a long time. Her heart suddenly grew heavy as she remembered her missing maid. She wasn’t in Raxuvia along with the remnants of Orion’s family; if the gods were good, Lily should have died quickly and painlessly.

Soleia hoped Lily did not suffer― her mind could easily come up with a variety of scenarios where a young girl like her could have her soul and body crushed by the circumstances. She heaved a huge sigh and walked towards the desk.

She might as well take the tonic now. Holding up the spoon provided, she held it up and scooped up a mouthful, blowing at it softly to cool it down before she took a careful sip.

Hmm. While it smelled sweetly fragrant, there was a bitter medicinal aftertaste that caused her to gag at the taste. But Soleia knew tonics rarely tasted good, so she forced herself to slowly finish the rest of the bowl, wondering if she could get the maid to get her a glass of water to wash down the taste.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and a yawn escaped her lips. Perhaps Rafael wanted to include something extra to help her rest. That thought made her lips curl up into a smile, and she moved back to her bed, tucking herself in.

Just as her eyes were closing for good, a sharp, stabbing pain enveloped her body, causing Soleia to gasp in shock. Her body instinctively curled up in a fetal position as she rolled to her side, trying to stop the pain, but it was futile. It felt like someone was repeatedly beating her belly, before shanking her with sharp knives. Not even her encounter with Ricard and Raziel had caused her to feel this much agony.

Her hands reached out for her belly, and she frantically rubbed it in circles. Her eyes were slowly blurring with tears, and she caught sight of the empty bowl sitting innocently on her desk.

What had she eaten? She forced herself to get up and approach the bowl, but another stabbing pain reverberated through her body, forcing her to collapse back on the bed.

This was how she would die, Soleia thought hazily to herself. She was going to die alone and in pain in the room of her palace, because she was most likely poisoned. A hysterical giggle escaped her throat. She could feel her body growing colder by the second.

Hopefully, Rafael would not be too upset at her death. She hoped he wouldn’t blame himself.

"Soleia!"

Soleia blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating Rafael’s voice. He wasn’t supposed to be back.

Rafael’s head swam into her vision.

"Soleia! What happened?"

Soleia tried to respond, but only tortured pain escaped her throat. Rafael was nearly beside himself― he immediately grabbed his wife, and was aghast at how cold her body felt in his arms. He had rushed back the moment he felt Soleia’s pain through the ring. It had hurt him so badly that he nearly sank to his knees in public. But somehow, he still wasn’t fast enough. He was greeted with Soleia’s pale face and shivering body.

His eyes darted to the empty bowl, and he let out a curse under his breath. This wasn’t sent by him, and he could think of a particular someone who would love to harm Soleia and their child.

Without delay, Rafael quickly slit his palm, and used the gushing blood to stabilize Soleia’s condition.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but bear with me for a while," Rafael whispered frantically as he began to drip his blood into her mouth. Ingestion was what worked the fastest, and he wasn’t going to risk cutting Soleia to get better access to the inside of her body.

He focused his powers, trying to control both his and her blood around the abdomen area to stabilize her condition.

Soleia let out another pained groan, but her eyes fluttered open.

"Ra...Rafael?" Her mouth felt disgusting, and she coughed. To her surprise, blood splattered on her bedsheets.

"Darling, please don’t cough up my blood," Rafael said pleadingly. "I need it to save you. Drink up."

Confused, but trusting of Rafael’s words, Soleia could only reluctantly open her mouth to ingest another mouthful of his blood. Soon, Soleia began to feel the pain subside. Warmth was beginning to return to her limbs, and she could breathe more easily.

In contrast, Rafael was sweating furiously, his upper lip trembling with exertion. Soleia raised a weak hand and gently wiped away the sweat on his temples.

"I’m feeling better. You can stop now."

"No, no," Rafael said. "I need to make sure you and our baby are alright," he said fervently, never taking his eyes off her belly. "Lie back down, sweetheart, you need to rest."

Helpless in the face of his devotion, Soleia lay back down. It felt like hours had passed before Rafael finally stopped, his carnelian dimming. He swayed from his spot on the bed, more from relief than exhaustion. His legs had grown numb from being stuck in the same position for a long time, and he ended up falling right on top of Soleia.

"Rafael!" Soleia cried out in panic. "Are you alright?"

Rafael let out a weak laugh. "I should be the one asking you this question. What on earth happened earlier?"